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the story and "tone it down" for the Sunday edition. She submitted the rewritten story, Editorials and again it was killed by her editor. (For- tunately, other newspapers outside the area carried articles on the conference, including a syndicated story by columnist George Plagns of the Newspaper Enterprise Asso- Press Blackout ciation and two others by religion editor John Dart of the Los Angeles Times.) on Criticism of the Bible This incident illustrates the fact that the media are reluctant to report on matters critical of the Bible. Editors are apprehensive about offending the sensibilities of religious people. Religious commitments are so strongly held that it often becomes difficult at FREE INQUIRY magazine are tence of Jesus and attempted to disentangle to raise any questions about the veracity of W ecommitted to the principle of free- myth from historical fact. a religion without being accused of bigotry dom of inquiry. We are especially interested We were thus surprised that only one or blasphemy. But it is not necessarily anti- in fostering public discussion of subjects that newspaper in the Detroit-Ann Arbor area, Catholic, anti-Christian, or anti-Semitic to are not adequately discussed in the mass the Detroit News, published a story on the probe the foundations of the truth claims of media. It was for this purpose that FREE conference and that the rest of the media in the major denominations, particularly when INQUIRY recently sponsored the conference the area did not report it. Reporters from these religious views can have powerful con- "Jesus in History and Myth." which brought the Detroit Free Press (which prides itself sequences for our political and social life. some twenty-three scholars, scientists, and on being a liberal newspaper) and the Ann No doubt many people find news stories philosophers to the University of Michigan Arbor News spent two days at the confer- about biblical scholarship boring. But the in Ann Arbor to discuss the issue. They came ence. But both papers failed to print stories. point is that there is a vast imbalance in the from prestigious universities in the United One reporter submitted a story to her editor media's coverage of the subject. The market- States. Canada. and Britain and included at the end of the first day of the conference. place is flooded with pro-Bible propaganda. both religious skeptics and liberal Christians It described some of the unconventional Believers have every right to express their and Jews. The conference attempted to bring views about Jesus and the Bible that were points of view, but surely the public also to light knowledge that is well known to expressed at the meeting. The next day the has a right to learn about the findings of biblical scholars, archaeologists, and other reporter was back. 1 asked her whether her scientific and scholarly researchers. Would scientists. According to Professor R. Joseph paper would run the story. She said no, that newspaper editors and other managers Hoffmann of the University of Michigan, that her editor had rejected it because it of the news were less timid about airing this conference was something of an aca- "might offend the little old ladies in Detroit." opinions crtical of the claims of powerful demic first: It objectively debated the exis- She had come back determined to rewrite religious interests.— Paul Kurz To Our Readers FREE INQUIRY's Annual Fund Drive is now underway. We earnestly implore you to contribute. FREE INQUIRY is in constant need of funds. We have expanded rapidly in the past four years. We have embarked on an ambitious program of sponsoring conferences and meetings, supporting court cases, and publishing a newsletter, the Secular Humanist Bulletin. Publishing costs far outstrip our financial resources, forcing us to operate at a large deficit. The Free Inquiry Endowment Fund has been established, but we are still unable to make ends meet. If we are to continue to vigorously disseminate our point of view, we need your help. Please contribute to our Fund Drive. Please be as generous as you can. Enclosed is my check for S Return to: Free Inquiry, Central Park Station, Box 5, Buffalo, New York 14215 Name Address City State Zip Code Summer 1985 5 ment in the case so far has, in fact, been occasioned by this challenge to Dr. Halver- son's opening remarks. Attempting to explain away Dr. Halverson's attacks on nontheists, his attorneys maintained in their Court Test brief to the court that the Senate chaplain was merely attempting "to communicate an affirmative message through prayers" by of Congressional Prayer "identifying sources of national strength in . biblical, historical and contemporary references," adding, as an example, a prayer by Dr. Halverson that was "inspired by pub- lic remembrances of the Holocaust." In his reply brief, Dr. Kurtz pointed out that he had no objection to reminding n a previous issue of FREE INQUIRY (Fall willing to share the podium with the Senate legislators of the Holocaust; to the contrary, 1984), we called attention to the practice and House chaplains so that a prayer by he argued, the Holocaust is a perfect exam- of the chaplains of the United States Senate them could follow or precede his own ple of the horrible consequences of religious and House of Representatives of inviting remarks. bigotry and intolerance. What was objec- members of the public to open daily sessions Since the chaplains' decision not to tionable was Dr. Halverson's exploitation of the Senate and House with brief remarks allow Dr. Kurtz the opportunity to parti- of the Holocaust as a means of making a designed to imbue the legislators with a sense cipate in the opening ceremonies was pred- vicious attack on those who do not believe of seriousness and high purpose. In particu- icated on his refusal to pray, it was argua- in God, for in his prayer on the Holocaust lar, the opening remarks of the chaplains bly unconstitutional. Therefore, after consul- (see 129 Congressional Record S 4607 [daily and their guests are often devoted to tation with Washington, D.C., attorney edition of April 14, 1983]) Dr. Halverson reminding the legislators of their moral Ronald A. Lindsay, who agreed to represent suggested that the unspeakable violation of responsibilities. Dr. Kurtz without fee, the decision was made human rights that the Holocaust represents To date, these opening remarks have to file a lawsuit challenging the exclusion of could be attributed to disbelief in God. In all taken the form of prayers. The chaplains nontheists from opening ceremonies. That that prayer, Dr. Halverson, after an allusion have invited individuals from many different, case is now pending before the U.S. District to the Holocaust, stated: "Father in Heaven, and conflicting, religious viewpoints to Court for the District of Columbia, under in a day when Godless forces would deny deliver the opening remarks, but they have the title Kurtz v. Baker, Case No. 84-2919. and destroy human rights, help us to see the never invited a nontheist. However, because (James Baker, the Secretary of the Treasury, futility in struggling to preserve them when the House and Senate chaplaincies are sup- is named as a defendant because, as indi- we deny, privately and publicly, the God ported with public funds, we believe that cated, the chaplaincies are supported by who gave them." the chaplains have an obligation not to dis- public funds.) As Dr. Kurtz emphasized in his reply, criminate in their selection of guest speakers. In the same lawsuit, Dr. Kurtz is also there is no factual basis for associating dis- If their tax-supported pulpits have been requesting the court to enjoin the Senate belief in God with the Holocaust. In fact, in opened up to theists of every conceivable chaplain, the Reverend Richard Halverson, his public speeches Hitler constantly referred sort, why should not a nontheist have the from making disparaging remarks regarding to God and invoked His help. He even por- opportunity, on at least one occasion, to nontheists, or in the alternative to prohibit trayed Nazism as a bulwark against atheism. participate in the opening ceremony? To Dr. Halverson from being compensated with Interestingly, Hitler was also a believer in exclude nontheists from the opening cere- public funds. A review of Dr. Halverson's the propriety of legislative prayer, as wit- mony of the national legislature serves to opening remarks revealed that he has unfor- nessed by the prayers he offered in the perpetuate the mistaken but widely held tunately used these remarks on a number of Reichstag. See Hitler's Speeches, vol. 1, pp. belief that religion is the basis for morality occasions as a vehicle for disparaging those 333-412 (Baynes ed. 1942). Nor was Hitler and that anyone who does not believe in a who do not believe in a deity. Specifically, unique in his theism. The 1939 census for deity is not fit to discuss moral issues. More- he has asserted that those who do not believe Germany revealed that a minuscule 1.5 per- over, the exclusion of nontheists from par- in God do not have any "concern for human cent of the German population identified ticipation in the opening ceremonies, while rights, minorities and ... people." Although themselves as "unbelievers." allowing access to theists of every conceiva- the Supreme Court has upheld the constitu- Dr. Halverson's remarks do serve one ble stripe, unmistakably allies government tionality of legislative chaplaincies, Marsh useful purpose. They reveal how widespread with religion and marks religious skeptics as v. Chambers, 103 S.Ct. 3330 (1983), it has the prejudice against nontheists really is. If second-class citizens.

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